This Little Vote Of Mine

Yet it’s central to our lives: “The activities associated with the governance of a country or area, especially the debate between parties having power”, says friend Google.

Politics is about how we run the world, the continent, the country, right down to matters like preserving or cutting down beautiful mature trees in our town because their roots are starting to lift paths slightly, and people might trip up. And sue the local authority.

In Ireland, we recently voted, on the same day, for our European Parliament representatives and for the councillors who will represent the community on our local authorities.

Those same councillors will have their work cut out, especially when they often have to face down those same local authorities.

Just this week in Skerries, a lovely seaside town just down from us, many local people were incensed when our local authority set about cutting down a number of mature Norwegian maple and London plane trees lining the town’s main streets.

A hundred years for these trees to reach their full leafy glory, and what, half an hour to tear them down?

Were they diseased or interfering with traffic?

No, the seven-day notice from Fingal Council justified cutting down one of the trees “because it’s heaving a pavement”.

One local business guy, an artist and sculptor, attempted to secure a tree preservation order from Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, but it had simply referred him back to the local authority.

So our artist activist ended up chaining his van to one of the trees, and othersinvolved are canvassing support and putting up stickers reading “please don’t cut me” around other trees designated for removal, and the drama is unfolding as I write.

Democracy, eh? The will of the people?

Is it any wonder we feel so removed from the levers of power?

Take that disaffection to its most extreme and you get Brexit

Brex …

Hello! … you still there?

I know. I won’t say it again.

Bre … only joking.

So it’s easy to be cynical, or feel powerless.

And that’s only us adults.

What’s maybe more worrying though is just how removed our children are from thinking about politics, or democracy.

And it’s not just because they are stuck on their iPhones.

It’s natural, I suppose, for kids and teenagers to be a tad self-obsessed, to the detriment of taking an interest in things around them.

I’m always amazed at how teens can be up in arms about global warming and slaughtering animals for meat, but try and get them to put their cereal bowl in the dishwasher …

Okay, okay, a bit of gratuitiously snide retaliation …

But I do wonder.

Like, both our kids are in the junior cycle in their secondary school, and they do a thing called Civic, Social and Political Education (CSPE), supposedly aimed at “helping them to engage in the community, the country and the wider world”.

Sounds good.

Bu let me give you a reasonably accurate report of my discussion with our almost 14-year-old son about a recent visit with his school to our national parliament, Dáil Éireann (Irish Parliament).

Me: “How was it in the Dáil today, was it good?”

Him: “Dad it was literally the most boring thing ever …

Me: “What did you do on the tour? Where did you go?”

Him: “Well we were there watching them doing their politics … so boring …

Me: “And then?“

Him: “We saw these paintings ..

Me: “What paintings?”

Him: “All the Taoiseachs (Prime Ministers)” …

Me: “And what else did you do?”

Him: “Well we were in the Seanad (upper house of the Oireachtas (Legislature)) for literally two minutes … so boring”

Me: “That was it?”

Him: “We went to McDonalds …”

Me: “Anything else on the tour before that? …”

Him: “We were talking to a TD (Teachta Dála, or Member of Parliament), asking questions, well he was telling us things” …

Me: “Who was the TD?”

Him: “Alan Kelly …”

Me: “Oh, wow, he was a minister in the last government … did you know his brother is a hugely successfully business man (Declan Kelly, international business figure, PR guru, advisor to Hilary Clinton and all sorts, worth millions)

What hope have we if the next generation are so cynical about politics!!

Yes, it’s easy to be cynical.

But it’s also not easy when you are not cynical.

A guy I know quite well ran in the local elections.

Glenn is mid-forties, personable, been around, always interested in politics (with a small p), does all sorts, teaches music to kids with intellectual disabilities, a really sound fella.

He cares!

He ran as an independent, ie no political party affiliations, researched assiduously, identifying local issues and concerns, went knocking on as many doors as he could, put up as many election posters as he could afford.

Without the big party machinery there were only so many people he could talk to, and he did well, but got nowhere near the numbers needed to be elected.

Talking to him afterwards, he was hugely disappointed, initially, but had come to realise this was just the beginning.

He has to keep at it, keep going for election, keep pressing on.

And he will.

But an interesting thing he pointed out, when he was looking into the whole thing, analysing where he got most support, and identifying those places where he had to build up support for next time, one statistic jumped out at him.

It was the low voter turnout in the most disadvantaged areas.

In other words, those in most need of proper political representation, to work for the services and opportunities so lacking there, were not going out to vote.

As Glenn said, you could be cynical, and ignore these areas when canvassing, go to the places where more people vote.

“Like the big political parties do,” I interjected.

He laughed, but didn’t disagree.

Worse, nasty forces can build up a power base among the disaffected, harness their anger and resentment for nefarious purposes

But these are the places Glenn wants to support, and so he will persevere, and push to get more people there voting next time.

Politics, eh?

Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed it, try another one! Follow my blog and you won’t miss out again.

MomOfTwoLittleGirls

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A newspaper sub-editor for many years, I am now a freelance sub-editor, blogger and content writer. Husband of one and house daddy of two: a feisty and dramatic 16-year-old girl and a bright, resilient football nut of a boy aged 14. My website: endastories.com.

60 comments on “This Little Vote Of Mine”

Horrible stories here about how rural villages have been so ignored by campaigners that they think there’s only one option to vote for – the incumbents who slip them some extra money in their pensions or pay their gas bills before elections… no wonder the same lot keeping winning.

I’m very cynical about politics and politicians too, and I’m only 65! The world needs more Glenn’s taking an interest in those disadvantaged communities but, sadly, they are much more likely to get attention from the extremists who peddle their lies (q.v. Brexit!).

Oh, the poor trees! My kids have a little interest in politics which I think is good. When I was growing up my interest was zero. I remember feeling proud that a woman got to be a prime minister.* I was young and foolish, what else can I say (I was also too young to vote at the time, so don’t blame me!) We need a change, and fast, and the children need to know that they are the future of politics so we can’t let them lose interest. I don’t want to talk about Brexit.

Yeah, there is a disconnect between kids and their passion, and the way the world is run, especially at a local level. It would be so good to harness that energy and enthusiasm in a positive way. Make the world a better place!

We’re definitely on the same page this week. It does strike me as sad that the areas of the country both here and in Ireland that need the greatest level of representation are likely to be those who are least likely to vote. Another reason why compulsory voting and proportional representation are needed in my opinion.

This is really interesting. My niece (a little older) is keen to use her vote and is engaged with politics, as I understand are her friends. My boys (aged 8, 6 and 4 so some way off getting their opportunity to have a say) are also interested when we discuss how the country is run and they don’t always agree with my point of view which I rather like! My older boys are involved in whole school debates though where they make student led decisions. Perhaps that approach makes the difference. Our local MP is also very hands on and they have seen him in real life and on the telly in the House of Commons which again I think helps. I hope that their interest continues and their secondary schools (when they get there) can keep their early engagement going. Great post! #ABitOfEverything

So good to hear of people like your niece being so engaged … teens here are so short of positive role models, as the debates on television and in the media are dominated by the clapped out mainstream hacks … so many have been turned off by this, and I imagine it will have to start earlier, getting the kids involved at a local level, and studying stuff on politics in school that can be seen to have practical, tangible implications, not just an academic subject, removed from the day to day …

Good luck to the tree huggers! It’s funny to read that politicians in every country are all the same. And if the problems in Ireland weren’t bad enough, now you have Donald Trump visiting for a few days. Do you want to keep him over there?

They are the same everywhere, it seems, Laurie. It’s amazing how many are spooked by Trump but you read other commentaries and he might be reelected as all the statistics that matter seem to indicate the economy is ok, so he’s ok!

Urgh, chopping down ancient trees. I must admit they’re a bugger to get the pushchair over when the roots tear up the pavement, but I don’t think that calls for tree murder. Great post, as always. #It’sOK

You’re right, if we can’t get the adults engaged then how are we ever going to get young people to care. I am the biggest cynic of them all at times so I hope that doesn’t rub off on my daughters. I love the fact that the people in Skerries are fighting to save the trees, that’s fantastic. I think the problem is that there is so much insincerity in the world it can be hard to know who to believe in (I know that’s how I feel most of the time) #itsok

We had over half a million informal votes. Given the state of the country, this was extraordinarily disappointing of our ‘adult’ population. It is unfortunate that we got what we deserved. It will be 3 very long and difficult years for Australians, starting with the hip pocket. #ABlogginggoodtime

Another great Post….. I love to talk politics and (un)fortunately that has rubbed of on the kids. Which in turn can lead to some interesting debates at the dinner table. You friend made a great discovery and I have been wittering on about, in my opinion the biggest sway in politics will come from the people who do not normally vote and are not engaged. Like you mention, these are the people who also need the change too.

Oh no… now don’t get me started on the trees! Our road used to be tree lined until the powers-that-be decided that they needed to go. It’s now sort of dotted with a small handful of baby trees… but no where near enough in my opinion. Funnily – after learning about the suffragettes, mine is chomping at the bit to learn about politics and eagerly waiting to be able to vote. Thanks for sharing with the #DreamTeam 🙂

Good for yours … can’t see our pair wanting to save the world, even if our girl suddenly turned veggie a few weeks ago, leaving us to come up with decent menu options. She’s doing exams, so we will wait till they are over to get her to start looking up options herself. She is actually a terrific cook and baker, when she wants to.

I really wish politics was a core subject at school it is so important yet so many people are disengaged with it. When I see turnout figures and the people who need to be represented most saying their vote doesn’t count or they don’t care it breaks my heart. #kcacols

I agree totally, I would love to see a school subject that connects kids with the world around them in a way that they would get, so they could see how local issues and world events are not separate things, and that they can impact on the world in positive ways. At the very least it might tackle that disconnect bewtween kids and the world around them whic I feel is dangerous for democracy and fair play. Thanks for commenting Jade

True, that is why, like your mission regarding car seat safety, I would like to see political matters taught properly in schools, so kids might make better chouces later, and engage better with the world around them, rather than leavcing it to the worst of us to represent us in parliament and in the world at large. Thank you for commenting

To be honest after the last year I am sick of hearing about politics!
It seems such a shame to cut trees down when they have been there for so long. Ugh!
My teen has a big interest in politics and is very opinionated which I think is fantastic.

It may have been boring but your son seems to have taken it in. From small acorns, as they say. My son had a trip to London and the Houses of Parliament, last year, and even now comes out with another little nugget he remembers. Good luck to the tree protesters. All the years the trees have been there. Surely they can build a ramp over the roots or something. So quick to cut down. #wotw

I’ve lost more followers than I care to think about writing about politics, but so much of parenting is worrying about the world that they are entering, the one that we are creating for them, that I don’t know how to avoid it. oh well #KCACOLS

The kids in my town are very engaged about the environment and such like that but when it comes to politics they are confused. And bored. I remember when I turned 18 and could officially vote, I didn’t. Politics didn’t interest me for one and for two, I had the same mentality as most non voters – The politicians don’t care about me so why should I vote. Nothing will change either way so why should I vote? Our young people are more engaged than we were at their age but we need to do more to get them involved. Like maybe make politics the opposite of boring. Just a thought. #ABloggingGoodTime

Those poor trees! My next door neighbour has the same issue with a tree forcing up her paving stones in the garden but our housing association decided to keep the tree (probably as it is much less trouble than her!) On politics, my daughter is 13 with zero interest in the subject but more worrying is that two of my sisters in their 30s refuse to use their vote yet always complain about politicians etc.

I think your friend is totally right though, living in a somewhat disadvantaged area myself, there is consistently a low turn out for voting here and it really needs to change. Thanks so much for linking up at #KCACOLS. Hope you come back again next time

Yes, item number one: I would not be impressed by those who complain about politics and politicians and do not vote; item number two, it really is soul-destroying to consider how those who need representation the most do not engage, or if they do, it’s too often with rabble-rousers and others who are really taking advantage of their anger, not their needs. Thanks for commentingTracey, and we can only hope our kids take more of an interest in these things. By the way, it seems the local council have carried on with their tree wrecking mission!!

I’m as bad as a teenager and don’t really follow politics very much at all. I believe the reason I’m like that is that I don’t see any changes being proposed that I feel will make a positive difference in our community/country. I think it’s a royal joke that Trump is our president because he’s definitely not taking this position seriously.

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Hi, I’m Blogger Dad Enda. I used to blog mainly on family matters, but my kids are teens now, so I rarely mention them now. But I have opinions and thoughts on all sorts of things! Email me at endas1896@gmail.com